Chapter 1444 Please Leave
“Let them go, Mother,” Aaron said resignedly after tearing his gaze away from Arielle.
“Let them go?” the queen repeated as she slammed the table with a fist. “Why would I do that? Leaving here unscathed after beating the crown prince, what next?”
Nobody, not even the king of the neighboring country, is allowed to lay a finger on my son except me.
“I was sparring with him, Mother,” Aaron explained as he met her eyes. “I threw in quite a bit of punches myself, you know.”
Aware that his mother was only indignant on his behalf, he did not feel it prudent to incur Arielle’s wrath and risk the lives of everybody in the palace though he wanted more than anything to have the bodyguard locked up.
As the head of the Mill family. Arielle had committed the content of the medical manuscripts to memory before setting them on fire.
As he had heard of the potency of medicine and poison created following the manuscript’s instructions, Aaron was certain that Arielle had mastered the formulae to a high enough degree for daring to make such a bold claim. In addition, he knew Arielle well enough to know that she did not make empty threats. If her bodyguard were to be locked up, the entire palace would succumb to her rage.
Aaron studied Arielle closely. Why was she willing to follow me to Turlen if she had such destructive powers at her fingertips?
For the first time, he began to harbor doubts regarding her purpose in coming to Turlen with him.
“I have already interrogated the bodyguards, Aaron,” the queen said with irritation at the sight of her son fawning over Arielle. “They insisted that it was completely one-sided..”
She’s obviously done something to him to make him willingly defend her bodyguard. What does he see in her? Look at what she’s turned him into! The crown prince lying to defend a common rat!
Aaron knew that his mother was not going to let Arielle and her companion go that easily. After another glance at Arielle, he walked over to his mother and whispered a few words in her ear.
The queen’s mood did not improve after hearing Aaron’s words. On the contrary, she looked even more uneasy.
Having never been willing to go on a blind date with the prospects of her choice before, he was leveraging it into a condition for Arielle and her bodyguard to leave unscathed.
Half intending to reject Aaron’s offer out of spite, the queen thought the better of it, and her relief that he had finally agreed to her request trumped her pettiness. If she did not seize the opportunity, she might never have the chance again. Upon mulling it over, the queen nodded stiffly.
“I’ll hold you to your promise, son,” she said grimly.
Aaron heaved a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry, Mother. I intend to keep it.”
After nodding at his mother, he turned around and walked to Arielle’s side. He reached for her hand, but she squirmed away. Arielle hated more than anything to owe favors, least of all favors done under the conditions of blackmail.
I can leave the palace perfectly fine on my own. Why does Aaron think he’s doing me a favor by making a deal with his mother?
“You don’t have to do a d*mn thing for me,” Arielle said nonchalantly. “I can leave the palace whenever I want.”
Her purpose in making that trip to the palace was to resolve the matter once and for all as well as tie up the loose ends.
“I know. That’s not what I did.”
Aaron gazed into her eyes deeply. Uncomfortable with the way she was subjected to his scrutiny, Arielle took several steps back. Her less-than-subtle withdrawal made Aaron’s heart wrench painfully.
Tired of waiting for him to tell the truth, Arielle stepped forward to address the queen. “I don’t know what it was that Aaron said to you to let us leave, but I assure you I do not need his help. Please, go back on whatever he has promised you.”
